Where is Daniel Morcombe? | 7. Mr Big

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Binge Cases: Where is Daniel Morcombe?

Episode 7: Mr Big (November 12, 2025)

Host: Matt Angel | Produced by: Sony Music Entertainment & Campside Media
Theme: The “Mr. Big” undercover operation that cracked Australia’s most infamous child abduction and murder case.

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Overview

This episode recounts the extraordinary undercover “Mr. Big” operation used by police to obtain a confession from Brett Peter Cowan, the man responsible for the disappearance of 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe in 2003. Listeners are taken inside the high-stakes sting—from its origins and psychology to the pivotal moment Cowan admits guilt, and the subsequent, tension-filled arrest. The episode lays bare the emotional, legal, and ethical complexity of closing such a monumental case.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Psychological Profile and Years of Frustration

• Police Perspective: For nearly 8 years, Bruce and Denise Morcombe were desperately seeking answers, while police repeatedly turned to those close to Cowan for psychological profiling.
• Cowan’s Suitability as a Target:
  • "He was a self-absorbed, pathological liar. He was impulsive, driven by money, and desperate for attention and acceptance. In other words, he was the perfect target for what was to come." — Matt Angel (03:16)

2. Enter Detective Grant Linwood and the Undercover Setup

• Instructions to Linwood:
  • Make Cowan believe he is “free” from the investigation (03:39)
  • Facilitate contact between Cowan and the undercover operative “Joe Emery” (04:16)
  • "They became besties by the end of the flight." — Detective Grant Linwood (04:26)
• Strategy: Police used personal contacts and intelligence to place Cowan in scenarios that deepened his bond with the operative, all communications were meticulously recorded.

3. The “Mr. Big” Operation Explained

• Origins and Mechanics:
  • Described as a high-cost, high-stakes tactic originally from Canada, used when police suspect a perpetrator but lack admissible evidence. (07:23-08:29)
  • Ross Barnett (Deputy Commissioner, QLD Police):
    • "It's essentially only used in very serious matters, usually a cold case murder..." (08:09)
    • "The end game is the attempt to gain the confession." (08:35)
• Legal & Ethical Dilemmas:
  • Concerns about false confessions and procedural “unfairness” (09:04)
  • Method’s legality in Australia—since “no real crimes” are committed by the undercover officers, it passes the High Court test if confessions are voluntary and verifiable (09:46-11:05)
  • "If they tell the suspect that they're going to steal a car, it's not being stolen, it's just been borrowed from a friendly source." — Ross Barnett (09:46)

4. Setting the Trap for Cowan

• Timing the Subpoena & Final Operation
  • “The COVID operatives had spent months setting the table. The subpoena was served… It was time for Brett Peter Cowan to meet Mr. Big.” (12:15)

5. Inside the “Mr. Big” Confession

The Meeting (16:45 - 24:23)

• Surveillance and real-time observation by the investigation team (16:14)
• Mr. Big Sets the Stage:
  • "All I'm looking for is loyalty, respect and honesty. And I'll pay you back as you pay me back." — Arnold, Undercover Operative (Mr. Big) (17:38)
• Cowan’s Initial Denial: “I guarantee I had nothing to do with Daniel Morcombe’s disappearance.” (18:13)
• Pressure mounts until Cowan breaks:
  • “Yeah, okay. No, I did.” — Brett Peter Cowan’s confession (22:05)
• Emotional Response: Investigator disbelief and relief at achieving a confession for such a reviled crime (22:11-22:44)

Detailed Confession & Site Walkthrough

• Cowan confesses method and location (22:44 onward):
  • How he encountered Daniel at the bus stop, lured him, attempted molestation, and—upon Daniel’s resistance—killed him in a panic (23:14-24:13).
  • Disposed of the body, clothing, and described the scene in detail.

6. The Aftermath: Verification, Stakes, and the Arrest Decision

• Police scramble to coordinate the next steps, knowing the confession alone may not be enough without physical evidence due to possible flood destruction of the crime scene (27:15-31:23)
• Moral Duty & Risk Calculation:
  • "If [Cowan] knows he's going to be arrested for a murder, he might...be emboldened to commit another offence before he's caught." — Ross Barnett (32:03)
  • Linwood’s presentation underscores Cowan’s past as an impulsive, opportunistic predator—deliberating the risk of letting him go. (32:22)
  • "There was no reason to leave him at large." — Ross Barnett (33:44)

7. Arrest and Final Irony

• The Arrest:
  • Executed at the crime scene, in front of waiting investigators.
  • "He was like a deer in headlights." — Detective Grant Linwood (35:41)
  • “[Cowan] just shuts up and plays it cool." — Linwood on Cowan’s reaction (36:58)
• Poetic Justice:
  • "I think it’s highly ironic that we did the same thing to him. ... The master deceiver and manipulator was deceived and manipulated himself. We did to him what he did to Dan." — Ross Barnett (38:31)

8. Emotional Closure for the Morcombe Family

• Denise Morcombe’s Reflection:
  • “For seven years and nine months, I always waited for him to come home and walk…through that front door…But like when Bob Atkinson phoned to say that Cowan had been arrested for Daniel's murder, that was…probably worse than knowing the first night that he went missing…” (41:23)
  • The red rose and hibiscus cultivated in Daniel’s honor.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Yeah, okay. No, I did.” — Brett Peter Cowan [22:05]
  The stunning moment of confession, after significant psychological maneuvering.
• "If this was a scenario where he killed other drug dealers...but to come out and admit what he’d done, I just didn’t think he’d do it—even if he had." — Detective Grant Linwood [18:19]
• "The master deceiver and the master manipulator was deceived and manipulated himself." — Ross Barnett [38:31]
• "He was like a deer in headlights." — Detective Grant Linwood [35:41]
• "There was no reason to leave him at large." — Ross Barnett [33:44]
• "But like when Bob Atkinson phoned to say that Cowan had been arrested for Daniel's murder, that was...probably worse than knowing the first night that he went missing..." — Denise Morcombe [41:23]

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:01–04:03: Setting the psychological stage; Detective Linwood’s orders
• 04:03–06:12: Undercover operation begins: “Joe Emery” bonds with Cowan
• 07:23–11:05: “Mr. Big” technique explained (with Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett)
• 12:15–16:45: Linwood arrives in WA; operational logistics
• 16:45–24:13: The Mr. Big meeting, confession, and full crime retelling
• 27:03–31:23: Admissibility, risk of media leaks, and operational caution
• 32:03–33:44: Deciding to arrest Cowan vs. letting him go
• 35:28–36:58: The dramatic arrest at the crime scene
• 38:31–40:23: Poetic justice—police deploying Cowan’s own deceptive tactics
• 41:23–end: Family closure and aftermath

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Tone & Style

The episode is somber, methodical, and tense, with moments of clinical police insight punctuated by emotional reflections. The storytelling is immersive, with authentic dialogue, careful pacing, and a respectful handling of the subject matter.

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Conclusion

Episode 7, “Mr. Big,” details the pivotal, risky, and controversial undercover operation that finally closed the Daniel Morcombe case. Listeners gain unprecedented insight into the minds of police, the psychological manipulation of the operation, and the toll such cases take on the investigators and the family. The podcast leaves you with the chilling parallel—justice achieved through a deception eerily mirroring the crime itself, and the bittersweet comfort brought to a grieving family and a nation.

Transcript

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

From a misty marsh emerges the medieval hilltop town of Rye. It's home to 80 year old Alfred Douglas, who runs a school of magic. But when Alfred welcomes a former student into his home, everything changes. It was quite clear that somebody was going to get seriously hurt. I'm Hannah George. And I'm Taylor Glenn.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

She's hammering at the door now I'm trying to get in.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

This is Toil and Trouble, a true story about magic, dependency and the thin line between care and Listen to Toil and Trouble wherever you get your podcasts, Listen to all episodes of Where Is Daniel Morcom? Ad free right now by subscribing to the Binge. Visit the Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen the Binge feed your true crime obsession the Binge Campsite Media this episode contains graphic descriptions of child abduction, sexual assault and murder. Please listen with care. Over the years, police had asked a number of people to complete character assessment questionnaires on Brett Peter Cowan. They sought these from those who knew him best family exes. The questionnaires were used to help investigators build a psychological profile of the suspect, and judging from the answers they received, it was easy to infer the following Brett Peter Cowan was a self absorbed, pathological liar. He was impulsive, driven by money, and desperate for attention and acceptance. In other words, he was the perfect target for what was to for nearly eight years, Bruce and Denise Morcom had been trapped in a living nightmare. Little did they know, it had already entered its final act. I'm Matt angel and from Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media, this is where is Daniel Morcom? Episode Mr. Big. Delivering Bret Peter Cowan to the inquest was just one part of the directive given to Detective Grant Lynwood in March of 2011. He was also to engage Cowan in conversation to get to know anything he could about Shadow Nunya Hunter, the name this man would come to be known by. That information would then be passed on to an undercover operative who would sit next to Cowan on that flight back to Perth. The operative would be playing a character named Joe Emery, but it was the final component of Linwood's orders that was perhaps most crucial of all. Once Cowan was excused from the inquest proceedings, the detective was to make Cowan feel like he was officially free of the investigation into the abduction and murder of Daniel Morcom. So that moment when Linwood drove him to the airport, walked him to security, and delivered that farewell don't come Back to Queensland.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Brett.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

It was a vital, carefully crafted way of instilling the criminal with confidence.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

It was like a false matey, you know, wanted him to leave feeling great. He dodged a bullet, whatever.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Then it was up to Joe Emery, the undercover operative. His mission on the five hour flight was to establish a connection with Cowan to initiate a friendship.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

They became besties by the end of the flight.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

For the next two weeks, Emry and Cowan were in daily communication. The COVID operative's only contact in the field was his controller, John Kerry.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

The whole point of controllers is that they liaise with investigators. You'd never, ever have anything to do with COVID operatives.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Grant Linwood, back in Queensland, was one of those investigators.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I was in almost daily contact with John Kerry, who would tell me what was happening and, you know, brief me on what's going on. My only real contribution at that point would be background info. Oh, we need to know this about him. We need to know that. See if he can find out about his lifestyle, whatever, to assist them.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Linwood could help them with that because he and Cowan were still in contact.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

He'd give me phone calls when, you know, the media were annoying him or whatever, which is why he's carrying my number around.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Using Linwood's intel, police would place Emory and Cowan in carefully crafted situations. Every interaction would be recorded. The hope was that as the two spent more time together, Brett would feel their bond strengthening and let something slip. Investigators were taking things one step at a time. Then one day, Grant Linwood's phone rang. It was a detective from the Western Australia police force.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

And he more or less said to me, have I got an idea for you.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Western Australia police were riding high off their recent success with an innovative covert technique. One designed for targets with very specific personality traits. And after learning everything there was to know about Bret Peter Cowan, they concluded he'd be the perfect next mark. The technique, it's called Mr. Big. The Western Australia detective laid it out for Linwood.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I remember thinking, wow, that's like a James Bond movie. That's awesome.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

It goes a little something like this. A group of undercover operatives posing as gang members gently coax a suspect into what appears to be a thriving, far reaching criminal enterprise. The jobs start small, sophisticated, low level crimes. And then they grow. Over the course of several months, the scope of the gang's power is put on full display. They build the mark's confidence. They appeal to the suspect's desires by offering what he craves most, money, friendship, protection. And they preach the importance of trust, honesty and loyalty. They're a brotherhood and he, their newcomer, is an indispensable part of this enterprise. But this world, the gang, it is nothing more than a backdrop laying the groundwork for the moment of truth, the moment the suspect is brought into a meeting with the boss, aka Mr. Big. When I asked people who I should talk to about what happened next in this story, the answer was always the same. Ross Barnett.

[Ross Barnett]

During the time when the Daniel Morcom investigation came to its conclusion, I was one of two deputy commissioners in the Queensland Police.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

As Deputy Commissioner, Ross was just one peg below Commissioner Bob Atkinson and one peg above Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon. He oversaw the State Crime Command and Homicide squad. And he has a wealth of knowledge on the Mr. Big technique.

[Ross Barnett]

It's often referred to as a Canadian technique.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

That's because it originated in Canada. Some say the strategy was first used over 100 years ago in Winnipeg. Others say British Columbia in 1965. Regardless, by the 1990s, it was being utilized in cases across the Great White north and beyond.

[Ross Barnett]

It's essentially only used in very serious matters, usually a cold case murder where the investigating police have a very firm idea that they believe they know who is responsible for a particular crime, but they are short of enough admissible evidence to make an arrest and secure a conviction.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Mr. Big is designed to obtain that admissible evidence in one very specific form.

[Ross Barnett]

In general terms with the Mr. Big strategy, the end game is the attempt to gain the confession.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The technique is elaborate, it's costly, and it's definitely controversial.

[Ross Barnett]

There are two key objections by opponents to the Mr. Big strategy. One is that it can tend to lead to a false confession.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

In an operation like this, where a suspect is trying to impress his fellow gang members, the confession could be unreliable. And the second objection?

[Ross Barnett]

That it's fundamentally unfair to the accused person because they've been duped by the police, they've been deceived.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

That deception, even in the name of justice, comes with risks. Defense lawyers could and often do argue that a confession was secured unfairly, that their client was coerced. In other words, it's entrapment. This is why Mr. Big is prohibited in America, where it is against federal law for police to induce someone to commit a crime they otherwise wouldn't have committed. But Australia doesn't see it this way. As far as they're concerned, the gang isn't asking anyone to commit a crime because technically no crime ever occurs.

[Ross Barnett]

If they tell the suspect that they're going to steal a car, it's not being stolen, it's just been Borrowed from a friendly source. If they see drugs being transferred, they're not drugs. A substitute. So no offences are actually being committed, although the accused believes that they are. They're just pretending that something bad is happening when it's not.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

For this reason, the High Court of Australia has declared the use of the Mr. Biggs strategy lawful. Still, if you want to do everything you can to guarantee a judge rules the evidence admissible, two key conditions should be. Condition one, the confession must be voluntary.

[Ross Barnett]

They audio and video record whatever they can, whenever they can, of their interactions with the suspect all the way through the strategy.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Every car ride, every conversation, every job. The final sit down with Mr. Big, they capture it all. Days and weeks worth of tape.

[Ross Barnett]

So that when the issue comes up at trial and the accused attempts to have the confession ruled inadmissible, the police are in a position to say, here's the videotape, here's the audiotape. Judge for yourself. Whether he or she is there voluntarily, are they under any coercion? Are they there of their free will?

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

And condition two, the confession must be verifiable. Maybe the suspect says something only the killer would know, or something that can be backed up with further evidence. In the case of Brett Cowan, the coverts had their work cut out for them. They didn't have much evidence for verification. There was no body, no crime scene. They were rolling the dice, hoping that if Cowan did confess, it would be a confession they could somehow corroborate. It was a clear risk, one they had decided was worth taking. They just had to wait for the perfect moment. That moment came In August of 2011, when it was decided that the inquest would resume. It had been more than four months since Brett Cowan left that Brisbane courthouse and caught that flight home to Perth. But the coroner's court decided they weren't finished with him just yet.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

He was going to be subpoenaed to reattend the inquest for further questioning.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The subpoena was a great opportunity for the undercover cops to initiate the final phase of the operation.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

They wanted us to hold off or at least coordinate. Please serve him at the perfect time. They can then go, what's this all about? You know, the timing of that was critical.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The COVID operatives had spent months setting the table. The subpoena was served, requesting that Cowan head back to Queensland to give further evidence. It was time for Bret Peter cowan to meet Mr. Big. Foreign.

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[Ross Barnett]

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[Detective Grant Linwood]

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[Ross Barnett]

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[Detective Grant Linwood]

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[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

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[Detective Grant Linwood]

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With the Mr. Big meeting on the horizon, Detective Grant Linwood needed to be on the ground.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

So I flew to Western Australia.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The detective from the Queensland Police Service was about to step into a world of policing. He wasn't used to the undercover world.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

It was funny because I got off the plane in a suit and immediately got told, dress down. Come in a suit and tie. Kidding. Throw your jeans and a T shirt on your clown. You know, all these unshaven and, you know dudes. It was funny.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

With the COVID operatives in the field, Linwood spent the next few days with their controllers. It's a part of the journey he can't say much about. But he says, enough.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Let's just say it wasn't. We weren't hanging around police stations.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

When it came time for the mission, Linwood presented two briefs. One on the general background of the eight year investigation and one on Brett Peter Cowan.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Everything about his life, his movements, where he'd been, what he'd done, Sandra Drummond, his alibi, you know, all those sort of things. And at the end, we had a summary and I said, look, basically, right place, right time, but we need the body or evidence of what happened to it. And over to you guys.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Linwood was brought to a hotel room, the mission's control center, just a few doors down the hall from the Swan river room where the operative plane, Arnold or Mr. Big, was waiting. The control center was packed with investigators and monitors. The screens displayed the live feed of hidden cameras. Every element of this meeting would be recorded. If Cowan said anything incriminating, they needed to capture his behavior, his body language, anything that might help them convince a judge and jury that this was worthy evidence.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I was there as a courtesy. You're the lead Queensland investigator. Just have a seat.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Watch.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

But they were running the show.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

It was so cool.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Most things you see in the movies are not like real policing, but this is one of the few times it kind of was. Gave me a set of headphones and we were watching. We were watching it in real time as it happened.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Bret. Peter Cowan entered the suite. He took his seat on the couch. Arnold excused the others. They exchanged small talk. And then it began.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

Listen, one of the reasons I brought you here was, as you know, I said to you, before we gotta walk before we roam. We've gotta crawl before we walk. And as you probably also know, I've got a lot of people in my confines all around the country that I pay good money to to get good information from.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

It's a carefully choreographed conversation, Every word, every silence, thought through and planned in advance.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

I'll be straight with you. I'm here on other business. But I got some information through earlier this morning which has kind of made me postpone all that stuff so that we can sort this out. Is there something you need to tell me or. And bearing in mind that this whole what we do is based on respect and honesty. Alright, just let me stop you there. Before you go on. I'll let you know that I don't care what you've done. I've got no qualms at all. You know, I've dealt with a lot of real bad cunts, all right? And I've had a lot of real bad cunts on my books. What they do, what they get up to doesn't faze me at all. All I'm looking for is loyalty, respect and honesty. And I'll pay you back as you pay me back. So go on.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

I was living in the area in a when Daniel Morcom went missing. And so I've been interviewed and I was hounded for ages about that. I can guarantee I had nothing to do With Daniel Morcom's disappearance, one of my alibis.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Cowan goes on to explain that the police had got it wrong, how he thought this was all behind him.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Now, the audio wasn't great, so really straining to hear. I remember him denying it and denying it and I'm thinking, oh, here we go. In the criminal world, pedophiles don't generally admit their behaviour and child murderers and rapists are absolutely reviled by other criminals. So if this was a scenario where he killed other drug dealers or something like that, you know, yeah, I did that. And criminals all high five each other, but to come out and admit what he'd done, I just didn't think he'd do it even if he had. Then Mr. Biggs says, that's not what I've heard.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

Yeah, look, I got some info this morning basically saying those things, but that you're the one who's done it. And like I said, that doesn't bother me at all. But what concerns me is that I need to. I can sort this for you, you know, I can sort things out, I can buy alibis, I can get rid of stuff, all that, kinds of things that needs to be done, I can do that. I need to know what I need to do. You know what I mean?

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

It's an important moment, a high wire act. If Arnold pushes too hard, Cowan might catch on.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

So you saying me, look, I had nothing to do with it. That's not what I'm being told. And that brings me in a real dilemma in a crossroad, because I want to move forward with what we're doing, but until I can sort this out, I can't. Because you're too hot, I'm told. Yeah, there is a subpoena coming for you. I'll show you the email I got this morning.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Arnold crosses the room to get his laptop.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

Better talk to you man on man, one on one in confidence to see if I need to sort, see how I can sort this out. All right, what I've got is Arnold, Shadow Hunter, Abs Brett, Peter Cowen, the main suspect in a disappearance of Daniel Morcom, who went missing in Queensland 7 December 2003.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Arnold's source explains that in his mind there is no doubt Cowan is responsible. He says multiple witnesses placed him at the scene and he points to the unaccounted for 45 minutes and his flimsy alibi.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

I suggest you Google some of the info that I provided to get more of a feeling for this matter, which I've done. Coroner's inquests are recommencing. Shorelyn Cowan will again be in the spotlight. If you can't sort this out, then I suggest you drop them like a hot potato. All right? So that's, that's what I've got. And that's why I've had. I've postponed everything. I haven't postponed what's happening, but I've postponed the business I had to do this morning to sit down when you're 101 and sort this out. All right? But like I've said, I can't sort out what I don't know. So look what happened. And how can I sort it out?

[Brett Peter Cowan]

I don't know.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

Like I said, all right? Honesty, trust, respect. All right, you know what your options are here, all right? And if I've got to postpone what we're going to do for a few months to sort this out, I'm happy to do that for your sake. All right? Because I'm told that you're pretty loyal. You've built up a good relationship with some of the boys and they speak very highly of you.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Appreciate that.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

So what do I need to fix?

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Yeah, okay. No, I did.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

No, yeah, I did it. Down the hall in that makeshift surveillance room, Grant Linwood and his colleagues are floored. They've just secured their confession. But without missing a beat, the operative plane, Arnold keeps going.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

Well, look, just lead me through the whole fucking thing, how it happened, from way to go, and then I'll think about things that we need to sort and fix.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Then he opens up and he just starts to go through it. And I thought, I can't believe this. Like he's, he's just telling the whole story.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Cowan begins to detail moment by moment how he abducted the and murdered 13 year old Daniel Morcom.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Coming up from my boss's father's place to pick up a wood mortar, there was a broken down bus, the sun bus broken down. And then I seen Daniel, went up and around and parked in the church car park. I walked down and sat there. I didn't talk to him at all when I got there. Made me just look as though I was waiting for the bus. The bus drove past and that's when I said, I'm going down to the shopping centre. Do you want to lift? Instead of taking the shopping centre, I took him to a secluded spot that I knew of. Went to an abandoned house, like, sort of when he started to struggle, like I was starting to pull his pants down and he said, oh, no, and started to struggle and never got to molest him or anything like that. He panicked and I panicked and grabbed him around the throat and before I knew him, he was dead. Taking him outside, put him in the back of my car where the house is, there's a little track that goes off down there through a gate and there's a caravan and an old mobile sawmill. It had to go like from the house 150 meters to where I couldn't saw bushing. I carried him over and threw him down the embankment. I went down there and when I dragged him through, I stripped him off.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

And.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Trees and all that sort of branches and covered his body with that. His clothes I took back with me and threw them into the creek.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Arnold tells Brett Cowan what happens next. He and a couple of the boys will head to Queensland the next they'll retrace his steps from December 7, 2003, and they'll ensure no evidence remains that could come back to haunt him. Investigators had their confession and they were more than confident that it was admissible. They had been recording Cowan for months. It was clear that he was a willing participant, that he hadn't been coerced. But something to verify that confession would seem sealed the deal. They needed to find Cowan's crime scene and he was going to lead them there.

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[Ross Barnett]

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[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

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[Ross Barnett]

No way.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

How'd you know?

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Does it get more perfect than that? Give without guessing. Shop in store or visit rei.com on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 9, 2011, Ross Barnett was told by Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon that there was good news out of Perth.

[Ross Barnett]

So all we knew was that he'd confessed and told us broadly what he'd done.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

But that was enough for next steps and the mad scramble began.

[Ross Barnett]

This is happening on the other side of the country. 5 hours flying time from Queensland Detective.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Grant Linwood had no time to process what he'd just witnessed.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I had to literally take the discs, flew the red eye back. Once the confession had happened, everyone wanted to be involved. Every man, his dog was coming in and there was people everywhere. It was mind blowing.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Senior detectives wanted to keep a lid on it, but that was easier said than done.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

And it was going like wildfire throughout the whole command. They wouldn't tell anyone what it was, but they were pulling staff from everywhere, locking them into incident rooms, not to talk to anyone. They're all detectives, they're not stupid. Something's going on.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Their main concern was the media. They had to ensure that this didn't get out.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

There was many, many considerations because it's such a high profile case, there was a big concern. If we went to set up a bit of a crime scene, start having a look, it would have blown it.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Back in Perth, Bret. Peter Cowan remained oblivious to the recorded conversation he'd just given police.

[Ross Barnett]

It was highly likely that we were not going to get anything more than the confession. But the next step has to be getting him back to Queensland with the undercovers to then take them to the scene and describe it further so that we can then get a crime scene and try, then start a search, try and find anything we can find. So that's what happened.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Cowan, Fitze and a second covert operative hopped on a flight back east to the Sunshine Coast. The moment the three men arrived, they set out to retrace Cowan's move from that day nearly eight years ago. They went to his old home in Biroa where he lived with his wife, to Frank Davis House where he'd picked up the mulcher, to the underpass where he'd stalked Daniel, to the church parking lot where he'd parked his car, and finally to the Glass House Mountains.

[Ross Barnett]

He takes them up and he does a drive to the crime scene where he said he murdered Daniel.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The macadamia farm was tucked away in the dense forest, the structure Cowan claimed he killed Daniel when was no longer there. But he still walked them through the graphic details of what had happened. From there they walked around the tall macadamia trees, down a small path through the overgrowth to an embankment, a five foot drop a few steps further and Cowan told them that they were still standing at the spot. This was where he had left Daniel's body. They made one more stop after that.

[Ross Barnett]

He took the undercover officers to a bridge over a small creek a short distance away, where he said he had thrown Daniel's clothing.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The case against Cowan was only getting stronger. Police now had a site to search and they had a second recorded confession in even greater detail than the first. But some weren't convinced. After months of extraordinary police work by the coverts, after nearly eight years and more than 100 investigators pouring their blood, sweat and tears into this case, were they really going to arrest and charge Cowan without any physical evidence?

[Detective Grant Linwood]

The problem you have is you've really only got one shot at this. If we arrest him and we don't have enough evidence and we lose it in court, that might be the end of it.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

For the next 72 hours, undercover operatives remained in character, keeping Cowan busy under the guise of awaiting Arnold's orders. In reality, they were affording investigators the time they needed to make an official call. That call was ultimately Ross Barnett's to make.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

The commissioner of the time, Bob Atkinson, he was very close to the Morcom family, so he'd excused himself from making the decision and he delegated. He said, ross Barnett's going to make the decision.

[Ross Barnett]

We had a meeting at police headquarters myself. There was a couple of assistant commissioners and all of the investigation team. The reason we had that meeting is I wanted to hear everyone's views. There are obviously only two next steps. One was to arrest him at the scene. The other suggestion being put forward by some of the senior officers was that he should not be arrested, but he should be allowed to go free. While we tried to gather further evidence, including potentially a search of the site.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

That would mean they would let Cowan go and continue the sting on the west coast, while officials searched for any physical evidence to help corroborate Cowan's claims.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

The biggest concern everyone had, though, was that we had massive floods in Queensland and that whole area had just been smashed through the floods. So there was all this concern that, what if we go there and we find nothing because the floods have destroyed it?

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Ross Barnett had concerns of his own.

[Ross Barnett]

There is no way that we could conduct a search covertly in that area without the media finding out. Next thing, there'd be a news helicopter, and all of a sudden some very correct speculation would start to emerge about the fact that we were potentially looking for Daniel's body.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

That news would sweep the airwaves. Cowan would catch on, he might go on the run, change his identity.

[Ross Barnett]

Australia is a very big country, and if you don't want to be found and you don't have strong ties and you can change your appearance and change your name, it can be very hard to find.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Which brought Ross to the moral duty they had to protect the public from Cowan.

[Ross Barnett]

If he knows he's going to be arrested for a murder, he might, you know, be emboldened to commit another offence before he's caught. Obviously that would be the worst of all worlds to have had him in our grasp and then for him to abduct, rape or murder another child would be just absolutely unconscionable.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Detective Linwood stood in front of more than 30 officers and gave a presentation on Brett Cowan. He showed the photos of that 6 year old boy from Darwin, the ones police took in the hours following Cowan's brutal attack. He highlighted the opportunistic nature of that crime, the fact that Cowan had committed the abduction and rape of that child in a matter of minutes. Linwood made his stance perfectly clear. Cowan needed to be taken into custody and charged with murder.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I just stood up the front and got absolutely hammered with questions by a couple of very senior officers. It was a bit harrowing for me and I was easily the most junior person in the room. I recall there was a little bit of reluctance from some of them and understandably so. They'd invested heart and soul for years and years.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

He wasn't sure which way it would go.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

A number of people were quite vocal in their opposition.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The opposition was led by Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon. But this wasn't his call. Linwood's attention was on someone else.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I remember Ross Barnett sitting down the back and he was just taking so many notes as I was talking. I thought that seems like he's right, he's writing a lot. I remember Barnett right at the end asking me how long was that offence in Northern Territory or something like that. I said I was 15 minutes, okay, look. And I remember thinking, I've convinced him.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

At least he had. Ross Barnett was backing Linwood.

[Ross Barnett]

There was no reason to leave here, him at large.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

The decision was made they would do it morning after next.

[Ross Barnett]

That gave us enough time to get everything legally and operationally prepared to do what would become one of the most significant arrests in the history of Queensland criminal law. Really, this case was huge.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Brett Cowan was told that Arnold had taken care of everything that needed any attention. There was just one last order of business. Daniel had been carrying a silver and gold fob watch the day that he was taken. It bore a distinct three letter inscription, the name Dam. Cowan swore he hadn't kept it. If that was true, Arnold's concern was that it could still be out there in the forest at that site. The last bit of any incriminating evidence he needed. Cowan and his men to return to the area for one final sweep. If they did that and found nothing, Arnold would feel assured that they were in the clear, that nothing would ever be found.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Steve and Ross were like behind a big skip bin and Emma and I were in this little shadow shed shack thing.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Queensland detectives were set up and ready for Cowan's arrival at the macadamia farm.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

I remember seeing this massive snake skin in there and I'm terrified of snakes and hot weather. I got the suits on for the look. We're standing in this crappy little shed with all these piles of wooden and dead snake skin and we could hear the cars coming. So we're all sitting here waiting.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

And then they swarm. Police.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Stay there, Brett.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Stay there, mate.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Stay where you are. Stay where you are. Stay where you are. Police.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

We all come out and we're all just walking towards him. It was just. He was like a deer in headlights.

[Ross Barnett]

Brett Cowan. Steve Blanchell, Detective Senior sergeant from the homicide unit in Brisbane. And you know Ross Hutton, is that correct?

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Don't know him.

[Ross Barnett]

You don't know him. Okay. We're investigating the abduction and murder of Daniel Morcom.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Yep.

[Ross Barnett]

Okay. You're aware that you've been spoken to before in relation to that?

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Yep, I remember they did this mock arrest on the operatives, just, you know, grabbed and gone, bundled straight out. They said to Brett, oh, who are those? And he said, I thought they were my friends. I think he knew right then and there that they were police. I was like, it's just the pennies dropped.

[Ross Barnett]

What I have to tell you is that you don't have to speak to us today, okay? We have the right to remain silent. You don't have to answer any question or make any statement. Do you understand that?

[Detective Grant Linwood]

He then looked like the sort of crook you see all the time. You've caught him with a stolen bike or a bit of, you know, drugs. They're just, ah, you know, cool as a cucumber. It knows he's in trouble, but not really concerned. Yeah, just blase, you know, hands in his pocket.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Brett was allowed to make a call just.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Just to tell him that I'm under arrest him.

[Arnold (Undercover Operative / Mr. Big)]

I.

[Ross Barnett]

Not at this time. If you're happy to remain with us and speak with us in relation to.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

This matter, you just can arrest me.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Alright?

[Ross Barnett]

You're under arrest for the murder of Daniel Walken.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Yep.

[Brett Peter Cowan]

Cool. I'm under arrest for Daniel's mur. Daniel Walkham's murder.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

It was a weird reaction, but that's what he does when he's caught he just shuts up and plays it cool.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Linwood sat with Cowan in the back of the van on the way to the police station. The detective made a few feeble attempts to strike up conversation, but Cowan was done talking. In the early years of the investigation, back when Detective Grant Linwood was just a young constable, he had told his peers that someday he was going to help solve Daniel Morcom's case, help hunt down and catch the man responsible. Now he had.

[Ross Barnett]

I remember that night, I did the media conference with Commissioner Atkinson about 7 o' clock that night at police headquarters and the place was packed and I think national news everywhere stopped that night to take it live. It was that significant. It was that sort of a moment in Australian criminal investigation history where people were pausing live TV shows and whatever to take the feed.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Because it was so significant, Ross Barnett and his team made a calculated decision to arrest Brett Peter Cowan. Where they did. Back at the very place where he had taken the life of an innocent 13 year old boy, they were sending Cowan a message.

[Ross Barnett]

I know judges and the legal fraternity and the legal system are only interested in the legality of police procedure. And the legality and the admissibility of evidence has got to be done the right way. They're not interested in moral equivalence or the irony of how and why certain police investigations are done. When Brett Cowan met Daniel Morgan, he set out deliberately to deceive him. He put on a Persona that was not him. He put on the Persona of a nice guy offering a lift and he buried the real Persona of the opportunistic child, pedophile and rapist. He continued that deception until he spun his trap and it was too late for Daniel to get out. It was only then that he revealed his true self, his evil true self. I think it's highly ironic that we did the same thing to him. That the undercover police officers set out to deceive Brett Cowan just as he set out to deceive Daniel. They were able to deceive him and string him along until we sprung our trap and it was too late for Brett Cowan to get out. I think that is the sweetest karma that you could imagine, that the master deceiver and the master manipulator was deceived and manipulated himself. We did to him what he did to Dan.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Bruce Morecambe had always been an avid gardener. In 2014, he and Denise had worked with a plant breeder to propagate a red rose in Daniel's honor. The color was important to them. It had to be just right. A red Daniel Morcum hibiscus was also bred. They had one in their backyard. One morning, Denise found a large black and white butterfly resting on that hibiscus. She'd wonder later if there was some greater significance to that visitor, considering the call she'd be receiving later that day. For seven years and nine months, I always waited for him to come home and walk, walk through that front door. That's why I didn't want to move for the first couple of years. But like when Bob Atkinson phoned to say that Cowan had been arrested for Daniel's murder, that was. That was probably worse than knowing the.

[Ross Barnett]

First night that he went missing actually.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Actually finding out that he was not coming home. Even though you know in your heart and you know in yourself that he's not coming home.

[Ross Barnett]

But it's not till someone tells you.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

That someone's been arrested for your son's murder, he's not going to come home. Another chapter in Daniel's story was brought to a close. But for Bruce and Denise Morcom, this wasn't the end of the battles they would have to face. In a sense, this was just the beginning of coming to terms with what had happened to the son. Unlock all episodes of Where Is Daniel Morecambe? Ad free right now by subscribing to the Binge Podcast channel. Not only will you immediately unlock all episodes of the show, but you'll get binge access to an entire network of other great true crime and investigative podcasts. All ad free. Plus, on the first of every month, subscribers get a binge drop of a brand new series that's all episodes all at once. Search for the binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page, not on apple. Head to getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. If you'd like to make a donation to the Daniel Morcom foundation, please visit danielmorkam.com au where is Daniel Morcom Is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media. It was hosted, reported and co written by me, Matt Angel. Joe Barrett is the managing producer and co writer. Grace Valerie Lynette is the associate producer. Additional production support from Tiffany Dimmack. The series was sound, designed, composed and mixed by Garrett Tiedemann. Our studio engineer is Trino Madriz. Fact Checked by Tracy Lofgren Lee. A special thanks to Ashley Ann Krigbom and Doug Slaywin and our operations, Ashley Warren, Sabina Mara and Destiny Dinkel. Campside Media's executive producers are Josh Dean, Vanessa Gregoriadis and Matt Sher. Sony's executive producer is Jonathan Hirsch. For Pacesetter Productions, the executive producer is Jessica Rhodes. Allison Momassi and Brian Daly are the associate producers. For Mad Jimmy Productions, the executive producers are me, Matt angel and Suzanne Coot. Consulting producers are Dan Angel, Lee Parker and Andrew Fairbank. If you enjoyed where is Daniel Morecambe? Please rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ross Barnett]

SA.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Nicole Ernest Pate was 21 years old when a.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Predator assaulted her in her own home.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

He is kind of the boogeyman.

[Ross Barnett]

In the night that you are truly.

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

Afraid of, she went straight to the cops. She said this sounds like some sort of movie plot. No one believed her. Until one day the man who helped the put the Golden State Killer behind bars helped figure out the serial predator's pattern. This is serious offender. He'd been hiding in plain sight. But even when the attacker was unmasked, Nicole still had questions.

[Ross Barnett]

The why? The what? The why me?

[Narrator (Matt Angel)]

She wanted to meet him. From Sony Music Entertainment and Perfect Cadence. This is Hunting the Boogeyman, available now on the binge search for Hunting the.

[Detective Grant Linwood]

Boogeyman wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today.